Know about the IIT LIFE: IIT Innovation Diary

Where do a majority engineering aspirants in India wish to study? Ask any student and you would be sure to hear the word- I.I.T. Why this craze behind these institutes? What do they do differently? One of simpler answers is probably a fat pay-check when you graduate. But why are companies lining up at the I.I.Ts to pay mere engineering graduates so much? It is because the I.I.Ts encourage an environment of innovation. In this post you would find the IIT Innovation by students and teachers that could change the world we live in.

IIT Innovation Stories

The first IIT Innovation story is of team of three from I.I.T. Delhi. These boys came with an idea which would turn wasted cooking oil into biodiesel. This would be of great help to small restaurant and households because this biodiesel can again be used as fuel again. It is not only eco-friendly but also affordable. Taking roughly an hour to complete the process, it can be used in rural setups to convert oil seeds into diesel.

The process used in this prototype is trans-esterification, converts carboxylic acid ester into a different carboxylic acid ester. Apart from the waste cooking oil, it requires water, alcohol and a catalyst. The amount of biodiesel generated is the same as the amount of oil fed into the system. The system cost them Rs. 30,000.

The idea is the brainchild of Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Agarwal and Mohit Soni of I.I.T. Delhi. The project is being taken forward under the guidance of Prof Ashok N Bhaskarwar, department of Chemical Engineering, who is helping the students develop it further.

The SOUL programme of IIT- Bombay

The Solar Urja Lamp or SoUL programme of IIT Bombay is a way to recognize the right to light of all people. SoUL project aims to distribute one million solar lamps in the rural areas. In turn this would improve education. In addition to this, the project also aims at localization of solar energy, whereby local villagers are trained to assemble, campaign, distribute and service the solar lamps.

Prof. Chetan Solanki of IIT Bombay leads the SoUL project. He believes it to be game changer because it contributes to both ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ initiatives of the government. The project has so far reached 97 blocks in states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa.

The Swachh Machine

An innovative idea by Trestor and I.I.T Bombay students, the Swachh Machine is a way to include all in the Swachh Bharat Mission. The idea is that for every recyclable waste item one puts inside the machine, one will be rewarded with a digital value token called ‘trest’. This trest can be exchanged for 300 ml of clean drinking water. The basic purpose is to encourage citizens to adopt cleaner methods to dispose waste. Consequently, it would lead to greener and cleaner environment. In addition, it would be a relief to the water starved suburbs of Mumbai.

The Underwater Glider

Finally there is another group of students at I.I.T Delhi who have developed an underwater glider. This device can be used for both military and as well as commercial applications like Intelligence gathering, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, Mine Countermeasures, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Inspection and Identification, Oceanography, Communication and Navigation Network Node, Payload Delivery, Information Operations and Time Critical Strike etc.

A prototype of this device had been built 2012 under the guidance of Prof. R. Vijaykumar. Meanwhile, the present version of the glider – PD IV – is the fourth generation design. It follows a saw-tooth pattern across the ocean depths at low speeds with minimal energy consumption, periodically transmitting the data collected by on-board sensors to satellites. Thus it can cover wide range of operations and responsibilities without getting detected. Hence, it is a device that could lend immense strength to our Naval Command.

These are just a handful of stories. But I do hope that they inspire you atleast a little bit to become an Engineer for the right reasons- so you can come with new ideas and create new things!!